


Silence isn't golden

by romeoandjulietyouwish



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Muteness, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:47:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22074265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/romeoandjulietyouwish/pseuds/romeoandjulietyouwish
Summary: After being kidnapped, Peter is different. He can't talk.
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Avengers Team, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 11
Kudos: 311





	Silence isn't golden

**Author's Note:**

> Yay! New fic! This is one of the ones I impulsively planned lol (many more to come!)

Peter doesn’t know how long he’s been in this cell. He doesn’t remember what happened, he remembers walking to school but considering his current predicament, he most likely didn’t make it there. His entire time in this cell has been a blurry haze. Someone took him out of the cell but for the life of him, Peter can’t remember why or how long ago it was. He’s been staring at the same brick wall for hours or maybe days. 

Peter’s entire body feels so heavy, he can’t even manage to lift his head when the cell door is thrown open. He assumes it’s his captors come to take him again, but then someone is crouching down to be eye level with him. Tony, his mind supplies. His eyes are full of anxiety and concern. 

“Hey, Pete. I’m going to get you out of here, okay?” Tony says as he gently runs a thumb across his cheekbone. Peter manages a small nod, a soft smile warms Tony’s face. Tony steps away and all of a sudden Iron Man is lifting Peter into his arms. Peter relaxes the tension in his body and collapses against the metal body. With his ear against the suit, Peter can hear the calming metal whirr of the machine. 

Tony must see Peter fighting to keep his eyes open because he tells him, “You can sleep now, we’ll be home soon.” Tony’s voice is soft, though filtered through the Iron Man suit. Peter lets himself drift off to sleep.

Peter comes to sometime later, lying in a hospital bed. He can hear people talking, but he is still too out of it to identify who it is or what is being said. Someone is holding his hand, he finds. They gently rub the back of his knuckles in a soft pattern, it’s comforting. Someone brushes his hair off his forehead and Peter wants to open his eyes to see who it is, but before he can, he’s pulled under again. 

Then next time Peter wakes up, the first thing he feels is comfort. The blankets on top of him provide even pressure on his entire body, he’s warm, and he instinctively knows he’s safe. After a few seconds, he finally opens his eyes. He flinches back from the harsh bright light, a low whine echoing in his throat. 

“FRI, turn down the lights,” someone commands. When the lights finally dim, Peter blinks his eyes open to find Tony looking down at him. His beard is overgrown, making Peter wonder how long he’s been here. His eyes, though tired, are alight with happiness when they meet Peter’s. “Hey, kid,” Tony says softly. 

Peter opens his mouth to say something, to respond to his mentor, but all that comes out is air. Peter frowns. He tries again and when nothing comes out a second time, he looks to Tony with wide, panicked eyes. 

“It’s okay, Pete,” Tony says calmly, helping Peter sit up. “You’re fine.” But Peter can see through his facade. Tony has no more idea what’s wrong with him then Peter himself. Tony presses the call button for a doctor as Peter props himself up against a stack of pillows. He doesn’t seem hurt, the only sign of injuries he can find is a bandage on his upper left arm. His healing factor must have taken care of it already. Tony sits on the bed next to Peter, “Do you remember anything?”

Peter furrows his brow as he thinks back. He remembers Tony finding him. Barely, but anything else? Peter shakes his head. 

“That’s alright,” Tony squeezes his hand. “Everything’s going to be fine. 

Dr. Cho knocks on the door a moment or two later. She smiles when she sees Peter is awake, “Good morning, Peter.” Then, looking at her watch, she corrects, “Or good afternoon, I guess.” She lifts up her clipboard, pen poised to take notes, “How are you feeling?”

Peter just taps his throat and shakes his head. Dr. Cho frowns at this and looks to Tony for an explanation. “He can’t talk.” 

“That doesn’t seem right,” Dr. Cho is more business now. “We didn’t find anything wrong with his throat or his vocal cords.” She listens to him breathe for a few moments, looks at his throat with a penlight, but still nothing. “Okay, I’m sure everything is fine,” she tells Peter before turning to Tony. “Keep an eye on it and come back here tomorrow if nothing improves.”

Tony nods, “So can the kid and I get out of here? Because I think there is a tub of ice cream in the freezer with our names on it.”

Dr. Cho smiles, “Peter’s injuries are almost entirely gone so I don’t see any reason why not.”

“Let’s blow this popsicle stand, kid,” Tony says as he helps Peter out of bed. Tony keeps his arm around Peter’s shoulder the entire time. After a brief pit stops to grab Peter a pen and paper, the two hop in the elevator and ride down to the Avengers common floor.

On the common floor, Peter and Tony find Natasha and Rhodey cooking something in the kitchen and Sam, Clint, and Bruce playing a video game in the living room. Rhodey is the first one to see them come in, lifting his hand to wave at them. This draws the attention of the rest of the group. Peter looks at his shoes, disliking the amount of attention he’s receiving. 

“How do you feel, little spider?” Natasha asks, abandoning her cooking to bring Peter into a close hug. 

Peter quickly scribbles on the pad. _I lost my voice but I’m okay._

Natasha frowns sympathetically, “I’m sorry. Do you want some dinner?” 

Peter nods and allows Natasha to guide him to the dinner table. Slowly, the rest of the Avengers begin to sit down as well and begin passing plates of food around. There is chatter around him, but Peter can’t bring himself to care about what’s being said. He keeps his eyes on his plate, moving food from his plate to his mouth robotically. 

He only looks up when Clint touches his shoulder, “Do you want anything more?” Clint gestures to Peter’s almost empty plate. Peter shakes his head. It’s less than he normally eats, but his appetite is gone. Clint frowns but squeezes the boy’s shoulder and turns away. Eventually, dinner ends, most of the Avengers cast the youngest concerned looks. But they accept his mood as a symptom of his missing voice. 

“Do you want to stay up and watch something?” Tony asks Peter as they clean up from dinner. 

Peter shakes his head. He just wants to be alone, to process everything that happened. Tony nods in acceptance, squeezes the back of his neck and says, “Goodnight, Peter.” Peter can’t say anything back. 

The next morning, Peter wakes up to rain tapping gently against the window. He smiles to himself and nestles deeper into the covers. Everything’s okay, he’s warm and safe. Peter opens his mouth to ask FRIDAY to turn the lights on, but all that comes out is a pitiful hiss of air. He clenches his hands into tight fists and tries again. Nothing. Peter slams his fists into the bed. Of course he can’t. 

Peter takes his time getting dressed. Normally he doesn’t mind silence in the morning, but with his voice gone, he finds he minds it a whole lot more. When he is finally ready, he walks into the living room. Thankfully, Tony is the only one awake. He walks over to where the man sits tapping on a tablet at the counter. 

Peter taps Tony’s shoulder, the older man turns around smiles at him, “Good morning. How’s your voice?”

Peter shakes his head. Tony frowns and rubs his arm comfortingly, “It’ll be okay, Peter. Cho can figure this out. Do you want to go see her?” Peter nods.

Peter can sense that Tony is getting worried. He can tell by the way Tony keeps looking at him out of the corners of his eyes. He wants to tell Tony that he doesn’t need to worry so much, that everything will be fine. But he can’t.

Dr. Cho does all the same exams on him. But by how her face hardens when she sits down to tell the pair her results, Peter knows it’s probably not good. Dr. Cho sighs, “I can’t find a reason. Not one. By all accounts, you’re perfectly healthy.”

Peter throws Tony a panicked glance, Tony squeezes his hand and addresses Dr. Cho, “What does that mean, doc?”

“It means,” Dr. Cho sits down, “I don’t know if you’ll ever get your voice back. If I can’t find a cause then I can’t find a cure. As far as I know, you’ll never talk again.”

And just like that, Peter’s heart sinks into his stomach and he is jumping to his feet. He doesn’t even spare Tony a glance before he bolts out of the room. His feet pound against the floor and he doesn’t bother to call the elevator, he just throws open the stairwell and runs down the two flights of stairs to his room. Once he finally gets there, he slams the door closed, making sure to lock it, and throws himself on to his bed. 

Peter’s chest heaves as he sobs into his pillow. 

He’s never going to talk again. Never. That means he can’t be an Avenger because they always use comms on missions. He can’t be Spiderman. Spiderman is known for his quips and taunting the bad guys. If he can’t be Spiderman then why would any of the Avengers want to spend time with him? He’s no one without Spiderman. Everything is ruined. Absolutely everything. 

He can’t talk to anyone ever again. 

He’ll be forced to write every thought down until he dies. He won’t ramble to Tony after a long day at school, he won’t banter with Sam or Clint during training, he won’t talk to Ned about the latest Star Wars movie. Everything is different now. Will anyone even want to be his friend anymore? Who wants to be friends with someone they can’t have a conversation with? Surely no one. 

Peter clutches his stuffed bear, Beary, to his chest. Ben and May gave it to him on his first week with them. He’s slept with it ever since. His fingers scratch into the matted fur, seeking comfort in the familiar toy. He squeezes it tighter, burying his nose in the fabric. Hot tears streaming down his face, sinking into the plushy. 

A light knocking comes on his door. “Peter?” Tony asks “Can I come in?”

And Peter is stuck. He can’t call out to tell him no. He can’t ask FRIDAY to mute external sound and tell him to go away. He can’t show Tony a note from this side of the door. His only option is to open the door. But if he does that Tony will see how much he’s been crying and how upset he is. Tony won’t leave him alone in that state. 

So Peter pulls the comforters over his head and ignores him. He can hear Tony sigh, “Kid, please, I know you’re upset just let me help you.” Peter doesn’t respond. “Okay, Pete. I’ll bring you dinner later, okay?”

Peter doesn’t know how long he stays under the covers. He closes his eyes and just hugs his bear. His mind is stuck in endless circles of deep sadness. Beary stays tight in his arms, his fingers scratching at the fabric.

When dinner comes around, FRIDAY tells him that Natasha asked if wanted to come to dinner. Peter just shakes his head, hoping FRIDAY gets the message. A few minutes later, Tony knocks on his door again, “I brought you some food. Can I come in?” Peter sets his jaw. “Okay. I’ll just leave it out here. Please, come and get it, you need to eat.” 

After Peter hears Tony’s retreating footsteps, he opens his door to find a steaming plate of baked pasta and salad as well as a glass of ice water. He brings it into his room, setting it on his desk. Peter eats slowly. His entire body feels heavy like his veins are run through with lead. Whether it’s tiredness or despair, Peter has no idea. 

He leaves his empty dishes on his bed and crawls under the covers once more. As he tries to fall asleep, he opens his mouth to tell FRIDAY to shut off the lights. He snaps his mouth shut, clamping his lips closed to keep himself from crying. 

He drags his feet to the light switch and flicks it off. 

The next day the first this he does it text May. 

Peter: _Can you pick me up?_

May: _Aren’t you spending the weekend with Tony?_

Peter: _I want to go home._

May: _I’ll be there in an hour. Is everything okay?_

Peter doesn’t respond to that text. After Tony and the others saved him from his captor, May had come to the tower. She had stayed with him while he was asleep, he’d been told, but she had been called into work. Peter knew that Tony had talked to her the last few days, but all he wants right now is his aunt. He just wants to cry on the couch with her and stay there until the next day. 

So without anyone knowing, Peter shoves his things into his bag and takes the elevator down to the garage when May texts him that she’s there. Once he’s in the car, Peter passes May his pad of paper, showing her a note he had prepared. 

_I can’t talk. The doctor said I might not ever get my voice back. I just want to go home._

“Oh, baby,” May says as she reaches across the console to give Peter a hug. “We’ll figure it out, okay? Everything’s going to be fine.” Peter nods, though he doesn’t believe her. That’s what Tony told him. May drives the entire way home with one hand on the wheel and the other in Peter’s. 

Once inside, May sits Peter down on the couch, wrapping a soft blanket around his shoulders. After getting Peter a glass of water, she sits down beside her nephew and pulls him into her arms, “Does it hurt?” She asks gently. Peter shakes his head. “That’s good,” she runs her fingers through his hair. “Do you want to watch a movie?” May asks quietly. Peter nods, that’s something he loves about May. She doesn’t push him when all he needs is comfort. Which is part of why he had to leave Tony. Tony pushes. He asks questions and looks for solutions. That is not what Peter needs right now. 

While watching the movie, Peter relaxes. May’s fingers work through his loose curls, bringing Peter close to sleep. She tugs him so that he is leaning against her, taking most of his weight. As the credits start to roll, their peaceful moment is interrupted by a knock at the door. 

May kisses Peter’s temple as she stands, “I got it, sweetie.”

Peter cuddles down on the couch as he listens. 

May opens the door, “Tony? What are you doing here?” Peter frowns. So he quietly stands up from his place on the couch and creeps towards the door. He wants to know what’s going on, but he doesn’t want them to see him. 

“Sorry, May,” Tony actually does sound sorry to Peter. “But I found this little guy in Peter’s room and thought he might want it. Beary, right?” Peter surprises himself by how much he wants one of Tony’s hugs right now. 

“Yeah, yeah, thank you for bringing it over, Peter has a hard time sleeping without it.”

Tony sighs, “How is he doing?”

“Not great. He hasn’t told me anything and I...” May takes a deep breath. “Do you want to come in?”

“No. Peter made it clear he didn’t want to see me.” That’s not true. He needs to do something. “I’ll just-” Peter interrupts Tony by stepping around the corner. “Peter,” Tony breathes. 

Peter makes a fist and motions a circle around his chest. _I’m sorry._

Tony frowns, “You have nothing to be sorry for.” 

May gently motions for Tony to come in, closing the door behind him, “I’ll give you two a moment, okay?” Peter nods and leads his mentor to the couch where they sink down beside each other. 

“Peter, I...” Tony sighs, but before he can continue Peter holds up a hand and begins to write. 

_I’m really sad. I know that there’s a better word for it, but I can’t think of it right now. I’m just sad. I’m sad that I most likely will never talk again. And that my life is going to be impossible from now on. And that I can’t be an Avenger or Spiderman anymore. And that no one is going to want to be my friend anymore. I’m really really sad, Tony and I don’t know how to deal with it._

“Oh, Pete,” Tony says softly when he finishes reading. He quickly pulls Peter into a tight hug, one hand on the back of his head. Peter clutches Tony’s shirt, ducking his head under the man’s chin. “Of course you can be Spiderman still. We’ll figure it out, okay? You and me, next time we’re in the lab we’ll figure it out. We’ll make you a voice module or something,” Tony takes Peter’s face between his hands. “I am not going to let this ruin your life, you hear me?”

Peter slams into his mentor with another hug, not even trying to stop the tears that pour from his eyes. Once Tony realizes he’s crying, his grip on the boy tightens and he presses a kiss to Peter’s head. 

Peter pulls back enough to form his hand into a simple _I love you_ sign. But to get the point across, he presses it against his chest and then Tony’s. His mentor’s eyes well with tears. 

“I love you too, Pete. We’ll figure this out, okay?”

Peter nods. He has complete faith they will.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a comment if you enjoyed it because those make my day! :)
> 
> Tumblr- @romeoandjulietyouwish


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